Hello all! Back from the holiday weekend, in which I did a lot of decluttering around the house, took the girls to see the movie Ponyo, got to hold a couple of cute babies, played in the park and at the pool with all of our friends, and made a trip to Philadelphia to visit the lovely Karin and the oh so adorable Charlotte (more on that visit later in the week). I miss the summer already!

This morning I sent my girls off to their first day of Kindergarten and third grade. Time sure does fly, doesn’t it?

With two kids in full day school now, that’s two snacks and two lunches to make every day. It’s easy to run out of interesting (and healthy) snack and lunch ideas, so I bought “Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids” by Amanda Grant last week when I stopped by a Pottery Barn Kids store. I’ve gotten other books from PB Kids before, all excellent (also, curiously, all by British authors), so I am hoping this one is just as useful as the others have been.

Some of the recipes include: chicken with mango chutney and cucumber sandwiches, sliced bananas with jam, pesto cheese twists, sausage and red pepper rolls, fruity oat bars, and sticky gingerbread. The book also has a lot of simple recipe and snack ideas (fresh fruit, fresh veggies with various dips, little salads, etc.).

Typically, we’re not so ambitious with our snacks and lunches – a healthy sandwich, veggies, fruit, or maybe leftovers. But we rarely cook things ahead of time; what’s for lunch is usually whatever is in the fridge that morning. But I’m hoping this book will nudge us in a new direction.

Do you have a favorite snack/recipe you’re willing to share? What do your kids love to find in their lunchboxes? Please tell me your ideas in the comment section – it might help others who are in the same boat, and I would love to have a list that I can turn to when I feel like I’ve run out of ideas.

Tomorrow’s Etsy Wednesday picks are a must see if you need a gigantic dose of adorable.